Safety system

ABSTRACT

A system for aiding emergency evacuation of people from a building, comprising a plurality of rails (51) with each rail (51) being associated with a direction indicator (54) comprising a tactile portion (66) which indicates the direction a person must move in to find an exit.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is particularly concerned with systems for safelyevacuating people from a building where loss of sight or hearing occurs,for example, during a fire, explosion, earthquake, etc.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

For safety reasons all buildings require emergency exits and thelocation of these exits is indicated by suitable signage. In addition tothis audible alarms are provided to indicate when a fire occurs.

The problem with the above arrangement is that in large buildings suchas warehouses, when a fire occurs the presence of smoke can reducevisibility to such a level that exit signs are impossible to see. Insuch a situation a fire alarm does not indicate which direction a personshould proceed in to escape the fire.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention there is provided a system for aidingemergency evacuation of people from a building, comprising a pluralityof rails with each rail being associated with at least one directionindicator comprising a tactile portion which indicates the direction aperson must move in to find an exit, wherein at least one rail isprovided with a direction indicator for directing a person from one railacross a discontinuity to another rail or exit, whereby a person usingonly the sense of touch can locate an exit starting from any rail andacross any discontinuity between rails.

Preferably each rail comprises a plurality of direction indicators.

Each direction indicator may be arranged to be touched by a personsliding a hand along a rail.

The direction indicator tactile portion preferably comprises anindicator member which is movable from a first position to a secondposition to indicate that a person moving the indicator member shouldproceed in the direction in which the member is movable.

Preferably the rails are wall mounted.

It is preferred that in the first position, the indicator member issubstantially perpendicular to the rail.

The indicator member may be pivotable from the first to the secondposition.

The direction indicator preferably comprises a biasing means for urgingthe indicator member to the first position.

The biasing means may comprise a cam means which is arranged to returnthe indicator member to the first position.

The direction indicator preferably comprises an elongate member which ispivotable about its central longitudinal axis.

Preferably the indicator member is supported on the elongate member.

The elongate member may comprise a lower cam portion with a cam surface.

Preferably the cam surface is located on a lower surface of the elongatemember.

The lower cam portion may be arranged to be seated on a support member.

Preferably the support member has an upper surface with a cam surfacethereon.

The support member may comprise a shaft in its upper surface which isarranged to receive a lower axial portion of the elongate member.

Preferably the cam surface of the lower portion is arranged to be seatedon the upper cam surface of the support member.

The lower cam surface may comprise a convex lower most portion.

Preferably the upper cam surface comprises a concave portion.

The upper cam surface and cam member may be arranged to rest on thelower cam surface with the indicator member in the first position.

Preferably the lower cam surface and the cam member is rotatable withrespect to the upper cam surface.

The cam member may be arranged under the force of gravity to be urgedback to a position where the indicator member is in the first position.

Preferably the cam member is substantially cylindrical in shape and isarranged to be received over a lower portion of the elongate member.

The indicator member may be arranged to be received on an upper portionof the elongate member.

The elongate member may comprise a planar member.

Preferably the rail comprises a cylindrical portion which is arranged tobe held by a person so as to guide the person in a particular direction.

The indicator member preferably comprises a tactile portion which isarranged to be touched by a person holding an adjacent portion of thecylindrical portion of the rail.

The tactile portion preferably comprises a lever which points towardsthe cylindrical portion.

It is preferred that the lever has a central longitudinal axis whichintersects the central longitudinal axis of the cylindrical portion.

The rail may comprise balustrading.

Preferably the rail comprises a mounting means.

The mounting means may be arranged to be connected to the supportmember.

The indicator member preferably is connected to the mounting means.

According to one embodiment the indicator member is arranged to beattached to a support structure through a pivot.

Preferably the mounting means forms the support structure.

A wall may form the support structure.

Preferably the pivot is normally urged to the first position.

The support structure preferably comprises a stop which is arranged tolimit movement of the indicator member.

The stop may prevent the indicator member from pivoting from the firstposition in the opposite direction to the second position.

The stop may be connected to the mounting means.

The mounting means may comprise a bracket assembly.

Preferably the bracket assembly in integrally formed with the rail.

It is preferred that the rail comprises end portions with indicatormeans.

Preferably the indicator means comprises shaped portions.

The shaped portions may indicate a direction for a person to move in.

It is preferred that movement of the indicator member in one directionmeans a person should proceed in one direction, that is the direction ofmovement of the indicator member.

Preferably movement of the indicator member in two directions means aperson can proceed in either direction while holding onto the rail.

If the indicator means is fixed and unable to move, it is preferred thatthis means a person must move at 90° to the length of rail.

Preferably the shaped portions comprise either one of the following: anangled surface to indicate a person should move at 90° with respect tothe rail; a straight surface perpendicular to the length of the rail toindicate that a person should proceed in the same direction as the rail;and a curved portion to indicate that a person should follow the curveof the rail.

Preferably an indicator means is provided at each end of each rail.

Preferably an indicator member is provided at each end portion of therail.

Preferably the indicator member is located between the rail and asupporting wall.

According to another embodiment of the present invention the directionindicator is provided on each rail at predetermined locations.

Preferably the tactile portion comprises a tactile arrow in the form ofa raised portion on the surface of the rail.

According to another embodiment the tactile portion comprises a ratchetmember with a stop surface which is arranged to be touched by a person'shand when the hand is slid along the rail in one direction and alsocomprising a shoping portion which allows a person to slide their handover the top of it in the opposite direction.

Preferably the ratchet member may be depressed below the surface of therail and is normally urged to protrude above the surface of the rail.

According to another version of the present invention the rails are inthe form of strips which are arranged to be connected to a supportstructure.

Preferably the support structure is a wall.

According to one embodiment the rails are connected at approximately onemeter above ground level.

According to another embodiment of the present invention the directionindicator is spring loaded to return to a predetermined position.

Preferably the direction indicator comprises a raised portion on thesurface of the rail.

Preferably the raised portion indicates to the person touching it whichdirection to proceed in.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described byway of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings inwhich:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a top view of a railing system according to one embodimentof the invention;

FIG. 2 shows a railing system for a passageway of a building accordingto a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 shows a railing system for a passageway of a building accordingto a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4a shows a rail assembly incorporating a direction indicatoraccording to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4b shows the rail assembly attached to a wall;

FIG. 5a shows a front view of the rail assembly of FIG. 4a and FIG. 4b;

FIG. 5b shows a side view of the rail assembly shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 5c shows a front view of a support shaft of a direction indicatorshown in FIG. 5b;

FIG. 6a shows a side view of a rail assembly according to a secondembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6b shows a front view of the rail assembly shown in FIG. 6a;

FIG. 7a shows a side view of a support bracket for a direction indicatoraccording to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7b shows an angled view of the support bracket shown in FIG. 7a;

FIG. 8 shows a handrail assembly incorporating a direction indicatoraccording to a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9a shows a front view of an installation apparatus according to afirst embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9b shows a side view of the installation apparatus as shown in FIG.9a; and

FIG. 10 shows a railing system used in a stairwell.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A railing system which incorporates direction indicators so that aperson during fire evacuation can find their way to a fire exit withoutthe aid of visual or audible indicators, is shown in FIG. 1. The actualdirection indicators are not shown in FIG. 1, these are shown in thesucceeding Figures.

The railing system of FIG. 1 requires rails to be connected topassageway walls 12 throughout the building 13. Because a rail isprovided on each side of the passageway in every passageway, a personnot knowing the location of a fire escape and being visually impaired isable to hold onto a rail and using directional indicators of the railfind the way to the closest fire exit.

The arrows 14 indicate the direction that a person must proceed in toreach a fire exit. Accordingly each rail is required to have a directionindicator which directs a person in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 10 shows how a railing system 300 can be installed in a stairwellutilising direction indicators 301 which will be discussed in moredetail hereinafter.

In accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention it hasbeen determined that a person can be directed to a fire exit using railterminal indicators which indicate to a person to proceed straight aheadacross a door opening from one rail to another or across a passagewayfrom one rail to another, or at 90° from one rail to a rail on anopposite wall of the same passage. A separate direction indicator isalso provided on the rail to indicate the direction a person must movein to get towards the fire exit.

FIG. 2 shows a four way passageway with arrows 15 pointing in thedirection of the closest fire exits, in this case in a southerlydirection or in an easterly direction.

For the four way passage shown the two rails 16, 17 of the northernpassage 18 are provided with straight end faces 19 and 20 respectively.These straight end faces 19, 20 indicate to a person holding the rail toproceed straight ahead across the junction of the passage.

On the other, side of the junction of the passages the south passage 21is provided with hand rails 22 and 23 respectively and these extendaround corners 24 and 25 into the western and eastern passagerespectively. Both the north and south passages are provided withdirection indicators 26 between the rail and adjacent wall and theangled portion of each direction indicator indicates the direction inwhich the direction indicator is movable and thus the direction in whicha person should move towards the fire exit.

The eastern passageway 27 is shown with a rail 28 on its north wall. Atthe western end 29 of rail 28 the rail terminates in an angled section30. This angled termination 30 indicates to a person touching it thatthey must proceed at right angles to the rail to the other side of thepassage as indicated by arrow 31.

Because there is a fire exit at the end of the eastern as well as thesouthern passageways, rail 28 and the opposing rail 32 on the south walleach have direction indicators 33 with two angled arms 34. This type ofdirection indicator indicates to a person touching it that they can movein either direction along the passageway to get to the nearest fireexit.

FIG. 3 shows a railing system for a passageway with a doorway to astairwell 35. The rails 36 and 37 on the south side of the passageway 38have curved end portions 39 and 40 respectively which abut with theadjacent wall on either side of the door 41. These curved ends 39 and 40indicate to a person touching them that they have come to a doorway andmust therefore open the door 41 to proceed into the stairwell 35.

On the north wall of the passage 38 rails 42 and 43 are provided on eachside of a fixed wall indicator 44. The fixed wall indicator 44 is awedge shape structure which has the apex of the wedge pointing towardsthe door 41. Each of the rails 42 and 43 is provided with an angledtermination 45, 46 which indicates a person should move at right anglesto the other side of the wall and therefore to the door 41. Each of therails 42 and 43 is also provided with fixed direction indicators 47, 48respectively near each termination 45, 46. Because the directionindicators cannot move this indicates that the person is approaching theend of a rail and will then have to move at 90° to the rail, that istowards the opposite wall.

According to the preferred embodiment a direction indicator is located100 mm from each end of a rail. In addition to this, where a rail goesaround a corner a direction indicator is located on each side of thecorner 300 mm from the corner. Desirably each direction indicator is nomore than 2 meters apart subject to strength and nature of thesupporting structure, and length of clear run in one direction as afactor to extend spacing, but not to effect integrity of the system.

FIGS. 4a and 4b show a rail assembly according to the present intention.

FIGS. 5a to 5c show a more detailed representation of the rail assembly.

As shown the rail assembly consists of a hand rail 51 and a supportingbalustrade 52. The balustrade 52 extends in an arc upwardly to the handrail 51 from a lower part of a bracket plate 53.

A direction indicator 54 is attached to the bracket plate 53 just aboveand or located by the balustrade 52 and consists of a lower angledsupport 55 with its top wall 56 having a concave shaped cam surface 57.Through the centre of the angled support 55 a passage 58 is providedthrough the top surface 56. Received in this passage 58 is the lower endof a shaft 59, the top of the shaft 59 is provided with a head 60 as ameans of restriction.

A sleeve member 61 is shown in FIG. 5C with a lower collar 62 having acam surface 63 at its lower end. The cam surface 63 is convex in shapeand has a matching shape to that of the cam surface 57.

The sleeve 61 and its collar 62 and cam surface 63 have a centralpassage 64 extending therethrough which allows the sleeve 61 to bereceived on the shaft 59 as shown in FIG. 4a. An upper part of thesleeve 61 is provided with a slot 65 which receives a planar lever 66which has its major part 67 pointing towards the handrail 51 and itslongitudinal axis 68 aligned with the centre 69 of the handrail 51. Onthe other side of the sleeve 61 a small portion 70 of the lever 66 isaligned with a stop 71 which has the same longitudinal axis 68. The head60 at the top of the shaft 59 prevents the lever 66 from being removed.

As shown the end of the large portion 67 of the lever 66 is very closeto the adjacent handrail 51. This is to ensure that a persons handtouches it when the hand is slid along the rail 51.

The stop 71 is mounted to the planar bracket 53.

As shown in FIG. 4a the handrail 51 supporting balustrade 52, directionindicator 54 and stop 71 are all attached to the planar bracket 53, thiscan then be mounted to a wall 72 as shown in FIG. 4b by any suitableanchoring means inserted through the lugholes 73 shown in FIG. 5a.

As shown in FIG. 4b the handrail is preferably 100 mm from the wall oncethe planar bracket is attached to the wall and the handrail is 900 mmfrom the floor.

It should also be noted that the lugs 74 in the centre of then angledsupport 55 is arranged to receive the lower end of the balustrade 52.

In use during an emergency evacuation of a building, with the railingsystem installed, a person does not need to rely on visual or audibleindicators to find the nearest fire exit. Instead a person can slidetheir hand alone the handrail 51 and eventually the hand will touch alever 66. If the fire exit is only reachable at one end of thepassageway in which the railing system is installed, the lever will onlybe pivotable in that direction. Thus in FIG. 4a the lever 66 will pivotwith the sleeve 61 with respect to the cam surface 57 of the angledsupport 55. Once the hand has passed the shape of the cam surfaces 57and 63 will force the sleeve 61 under the action of gravity to return toits original position at which the lever 68 is again pointing at thehandrail 51.

The stop 71 prevents the lever from returning beyond its originalstarting position.

If fire exits are located at either end of the passageway in which therail is installed the stop 71 is removed so that a hand moving along therail 51 in either direction will be able to move the lever 68. Becausethe lever 68 can move in either direction this would indicate to aperson that a fire exit is locatable at either end of the passageway.

By providing stop 71 on either side of the lever it is possible toprevent the lever from moving in any direction. If a person slidingtheir hand along the handrail 51 then strikes the lever 68 and feelsthat it cannot move this indicates to them that they must move at rightangles and therefore across the passageway to the opposite wall. Oncethere the handrail of that wall will indicate which way to go.

The above embodiment is a preferred embodiment of the present inventionand it is envisaged that other rails and direction indicators could beutilised in accordance with the invention.

According to another embodiment of the present invention the railassembly and direction indicator shown in FIGS. 5a to 5c can be replacedby another rail assembly and direction indicator as shown in FIGS. 6a,6b, 7a and 7b.

The rail assembly shown in FIG. 6a is effectively the same as that shownin FIG. 5b, although the mounting plate for connecting the handrailbalustrading 81 (to plate 82) is different in shape because it does nothave to support the direction indicator 84. As shown in FIG. 6b thebracket plate is effectively a squarish plate with a central holeslightly lower than the absolute centre of the square. The hole receivesthe balustrading 81 and bolt holes 85 allow the bracket plate 83 to beattached to the supporting bracket 82.

The direction indicator 84 is different to that shown in FIG. 5bprimarily because of the way it is supported at its lower end by asupport bracket 87 which extends at an angle slightly below thehorizontal from the support bracket 82. At its upper end the directionindicator 84 is supported by a top section 88 of the support bracket.This top section is formed by bending the top end of the support bracketfrom a vertical to a horizontal orientation.

As shown in FIGS. 7a and 7b initially both bracket sections 87 and 88are aligned in parallel one above the other with holes 89 and 90respectively aligned along a vertical axis. A central bolt 91 of thedirection indicator is received through both of these holes with thehead of the bolt 92 resting on the top surface of section 88.

By bending the lower bracket section 87 downwardly the outer sleevesection 93 of the direction indicator can have its lower end shaped sothat the lower surface has a matching shape to that of the angled lowerbracket section 87.

With the lower surface 95 lying flush against the top surface of bracketsection 87, lever 96 can be oriented so that it is perpendicular to theadjacent hand rail 97. Because the sleeve section 93 is freely moveablevertically along bolt 91 if lever 96 is moved away from its restingposition perpendicular to handrail 97, face 95 is no longer flush withthe upper face of bracket section 87. Accordingly under the action ofgravity the sleeve 93 tries to assume its resting position with itssurface 95 flush against the upper surface of bracket section 87, thusrestoring lever 96 to its resting position.

Underneath bracket section 87 a specially shaped support nut 93 ensuresthe end of bolt 92 cannot be withdrawn accidentally.

As shown in FIG. 7b bracket section 87 is effectively formed by bendinga cutout section from support bracket 82 so as to leave a window 99.

According to another embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 8a railing 100 can be provided with a direction indicator 101 whicheffectively consists of a planar member 102 attached to a bracket 103through a pivot 104. An upper section of the direction indicator 105 isarranged perpendicular to a horizontal handrail 106 and close enough tothis handrail so that a hand sliding along the handrail would contactsection 105 located directly below it.

Above the direction indicator 101 tactile portions being surfaceprotrusions 107 on the surface of the handrail 106 indicate that adirection indicator is therebelow.

The lower end 108 of the direction indicator 101 is provided with a knob109 which is adjacent to a handrail arcuate section 110. This section110 prevents the section 108 of the direction indicator from movinganticlockwise and as shown allows a person striking section 105 of thedirection indicator to move it in a clockwise direction and thus gaugefrom this movement that progress can continue along the handrail to theright hand side of the handrail, but not to the left hand side.

The direction indicator can be urged by any suitable means back to itsoriginal resting configuration where section 105 lies perpendicular tothe handrail 106 above it.

According to one possibility the knob 109 could be weighted so as toreturn it to its lower most location with the direction indicatoraligned in the vertical orientation. Alternatively a spring loadedmechanism could be provided at the pivot 104.

To install a handrail assembly system incorporating the directionindicators previously described, according to one embodiment an assemblyapparatus as shown in FIGS. 9a and 9b can be utilised.

As shown in FIG. 9a the assembly apparatus 200 consists of a locatingbracket 201 having supporting legs 202. The supporting legs aretelescopic with a fixing pin 203 to allow the height of the legs to beadjusted and fixed.

The locating bracket 201 consists of a back face 204 and twoperpendicular side faces 205. A leg is attached to each of the sidefaces 205 by a pivotal locking pin 206.

The side faces 205 are shaped so that an upper portion fits between aside wall 207 and the intended location of a handrail 208. A lower lipportion 209 of each side bracket 205 is shaped to rest directly underhandrail 208 when side bracket 205 is flush with side wall 207 so thatthe handrail 208 abuts perpendicular edge faces 210 and 209. From theright hand edge of lip 209 the side bracket 205 then extends down at anangle of approximately 45° until it contacts back section 204.

The back section 204 can be provided with a rectangular cut out sectionwhich is exactly the same shape as the support bracket which is to holdthe direction indicator or which is already provided with the directionindicator. The support bracket 211 can then be inserted in the spaceprovided in back section 204 and can be attached to the side wall 207.Thus a simple way is provided of accurately locating the directionindicator in the correct position.

According to another variation of the invention the handrail,balustrading and support bracket can be attached to the side wall firstby using the installation apparatus 201. This is simply achieved bylocating the handrail 208 so that it contacts side faces 209 and 210 ofside bracket 205. Once the support bracket is attached to the side wallthe direction indicator having a support bracket for example as shown inFIG. 7b can then be located in the correct position by either acorresponding cutout shape in the back face 204 or alternative locatingindicators of the assembly apparatus.

An advantage of the present system is that it does not discriminateagainst visually impaired people.

What is claimed is:
 1. A railing system for aiding emergency evacuationof people from a building comprising:a plurality of handrails which areinstalled on walls of the building and which provide hand hold supportto said people; and a plurality of direction indicators each of which isphysically connected to a corresponding one of the plurality ofhandrails, each direction indicator of said plurality of directionindicators comprising a tactile portion which indicates the direction aperson must move in to find an exit, each one of said plurality ofhandrails having connected thereto at least one of the plurality ofdirection indicators, wherein said plurality of direction indicatorsincludes indicators of a first type which convey directional informationfor directing a person from the corresponding handrail across adiscontinuity to a target location at which there is another handrail ofsaid plurality of handrails or an exit, wherein the tactile portions ofthe indicators of the first type include shaped rail portions of a firstshape and shaped rail portions of a second shape, wherein the first andsecond shapes convey different directional information, the first shapebeing characterized by a flat end surface that is perpendicular to thedirection of the handrail to which it is attached and indicating to theperson to continue along the direction of the corresponding handrailacross a discontinuity to a target location and the second shape beingcharacterized by a flat end surface that is oriented at an angle lessthan 90° relative the direction of the handrail to which it is attachedand indicating to the person to turn 90° to the direction of thecorresponding handrail and across a discontinuity to a target location,the direction of the turn depending on the orientation of the angled endsurface.
 2. A railing system as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least oneof the handrails has more than one of said plurality of directionindicators connected thereto.
 3. A railing system as claimed in claim 1further comprising a support structure for each of said plurality ofhandrails, said support structures attaching said plurality of handrailsto walls of the building.
 4. A railing system as claimed in claim 1,further comprising a support structure for each of said plurality ofhandrails and wherein said plurality of direction indicators includesindicators of a second type, each of said indicators of the second typecomprising a moveably mounted indicator member mounted on acorresponding support structure, said indicator member configured to bemoveable from a first position to a second position to indicate that aperson moving said indicator member should proceed in the direction inwhich said member is moveable.
 5. A railing system as claimed in claim4, wherein each direction indicator of the second type is arranged in alocation where it is contacted by a person whose hand is in contact withthe handrail of the railing system as that person is using the handrailsystem.
 6. A railing system as claimed in claim 4, wherein each of saidindicators of the second type further comprises an urging means forurging the moveably mounted indicator member to the first position.
 7. Arailing system as claimed in claim 4 wherein the indicator member ineach of said indicators of the second type is pivotally mounted to pivotbetween the first and the second positions.
 8. A railing system asclaimed in claim 7, wherein said indicator member in each of saidindicators of the second type is mounted in an orientation substantiallyperpendicular to the handrail with which it is in close proximity.
 9. Arailing system as claimed in claim 6 wherein said urging means in eachof the indicators of the second type comprises a first and a secondsurface, the first surface being a cam surface arranged to co-operatewith the second surface of the urging means to return the indicatormember to the first position when moved away therefrom.
 10. A railingsystem for aiding emergency evacuation of people from a building, saidrailing system comprising:a plurality of handrails which are installedon walls of the building and which provide hand hold support to saidpeople; and a plurality of direction indicators each of which isphysically connected to a corresponding one of the plurality ofhandrails, each direction indicator of said plurality of directionindicators comprising a tactile portion which indicates the direction aperson must move in to find an exit, each one of said plurality ofhandrails having mounted thereon at least one of the plurality ofdirection indicators, wherein said plurality of direction indicatorsincludes indicators of a first type each of which comprises an elongatemember with an indicator member extending laterally therefrom whereinsaid elongate member is pivotally mounted to pivot between a first, asecond, and a third position such that said indicator member pivots fromthe first to the second position when movement in one direction is beingsignaled and from the first to the third position opposite to that ofthe second position when movement in two opposite directions is beingsignaled, wherein the indicators of the first type make up the tactileportions of the corresponding direction indicators.
 11. A railing systemas claimed in claim 10, further comprising:a plurality of supportmembers, each of which has an upper surface, and wherein in eachindicator of the first type said elongate member comprises a shafthaving a cam surface at its lower end which is arranged to engage theupper surface of a corresponding one of said plurality of supportmembers.
 12. A railing system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the camsurface in each indicator of the first type comprises a convex lowermostportion and an upper surface of each of said plurality of supportmembers comprises a concave portion, wherein the concave portion of theupper surface of each support member is shaped and positioned so as toreceive the convex lowermost portion of cam surface of a correspondingindicator of the first type.
 13. A railing system as claimed in claim12, wherein the cam surface of said elongate member in each indicator ofthe first type is shaped and oriented so as to be rotatable with respectto the upper surface of the support member which receives that camsurface.
 14. A railing system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the camsurface of said elongate member in each indicator of the first typecomprises a cam member which is substantially rectangular in shape andis positioned and oriented to be received over a lower portion of theelongate member.
 15. A railing system for aiding emergency evacuation ofpeople from a building, said railing system comprising:a plurality ofhandrails installed in the building and which provide hand hold supportto said people; and a plurality of direction indicators, each indicatorcomprising a tactile portion which indicates the direction a person mustmove in to find an exit, there being at least one of said plurality ofdirection indicators physically connected to each one of the pluralityof handrails, wherein said plurality of direction indicators includesdirection indicators of a first type, each of said indicators of thefirst type including a mechanism which is moveable from a first positionsubstantially perpendicular to the handrail to a second positionsubstantially parallel to the handrail to indicate that a person movingthat mechanism should proceed in the direction in which that mechanismis moveable, wherein the indicators of the first type make up thetactile portions of the corresponding direction indicators.
 16. Arailing system as claimed in claim 15, wherein each of the directionindicators of the first type further comprises a mounting structurewhich connects the moveable mechanism for that direction indicator tothe handrail to which that direction indicator is connected and whichmounts the handrail to which that direction indicator is connected to acorresponding wall of the building.
 17. A railing system as claimed inclaim 16, wherein each indicator of the first type comprises a stop forlimiting movement of the mechanism in said direction indicator, saidstop mounted onto the mounting structure for the direction indicator ofwhich that stop is a part.
 18. A railing system as claimed in claim 1,wherein the direction indicators of the first type are located at endsof at least some of said plurality of handrails.
 19. A directionindicator for a railing system for emergency evacuation of people from abuilding comprising an indicator member and a supporting mechanism whichpermits the indicator member to be moveable from a first position to asecond position to indicate that a person moving the indicator membershould proceed in the direction in which the member is moveable.
 20. Adirection indicator as claimed in claim 19, comprising an urging meansfor urging the indicator member to the first position.
 21. A directionindicator as claimed in claim 20, comprising a pivot means to allow theindicator member to pivot within the supporting mechanism between firstand second positions.
 22. A railing system as claimed in claim 3,wherein the plurality of direction indicators includes a plurality ofindicators of a second type, each of said indicators of the second typecomprising an indicator member and a supporting mechanism which rendersthe indicator member moveable from a first position to a second positionto indicate that a person moving the indicator member should proceed inthe direction in which the member is moveable.
 23. A railing system asclaimed in claim 22, wherein each indicator of the second type alsocomprises an urging means for urging the indicator member to the firstposition.
 24. A railing system as claimed in claim 22 wherein in eachindicator of the second type the indicator member is pivotal between thefirst and second positions.
 25. A railing system as claimed in claim 6wherein in each indicator of the second type the indicator member ispivotal between the first and second positions.
 26. A railing system asclaimed in claim 23 wherein in each indicator of the second type theindicator member is pivotal between the first and second positions. 27.A railing system as claimed in claim 23, wherein in each indicator ofthe second type the indicator member is substantially perpendicular tothe handrail to which the indicator of the second type is closelyproximate.
 28. A railing system as claimed in claim 24, wherein in eachindicator of the second type the indicator member is substantiallyperpendicular to the handrail to which the indicator of the second typeis closely proximate.
 29. A railing system as claimed in claim 26,wherein in each indicator of the second type the indicator member issubstantially perpendicular to the handrail to which the indicator ofthe second type is closely proximate.
 30. A railing system as claimed inclaim 23 wherein in each indicator of the second type the urging meanscomprises a cam surface which is arranged to cooperate with anothersurface of the urging means to return the indicator member to the firstposition when moved away therefrom.